


Last Christmas

by Laisaxrem



Series: This is Us (english version) [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anbu Haruno Sakura, Christmas Party, Drunkenness, Eggnog, F/M, Fictober 2019, M/M, Married Life, Mistletoe, Multi, Rokudaime Hatake Kakashi, Slow Burn, So Many Kids, Take me Home, Too much drink, Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, it will be a long journey, so much life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:48:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27085105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laisaxrem/pseuds/Laisaxrem
Summary: Fifty-five Christmases together with our beloved Naruto characters, fifty-five years of life.
Relationships: Akimichi Chouji/Karui, Gaara/Rock Lee, Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi, Nara Shikamaru/Temari, Sai/Yamanaka Ino, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: This is Us (english version) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1976788
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41





	1. And so This Is Christmas. I Hope you Have Fun

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Last Christmas](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20760278) by [Laisaxrem](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laisaxrem/pseuds/Laisaxrem). 



> First of all I apologize for the huge grammar errors. English is not really my forte and I kept these translations on the drive for a long time before I decided to publish them (and yes, I got help from Google too).  
> Btw.  
> This will be a long story. Fifty-five chapters, one for each year, one for each Christmas Party of our friends from Konoha. We will see them grow, we will see relationships arise (and end?), we will welcome the children of the new generation... and even the one after that. And we will lose our beloved characters. Because after all, if you cover 55 years of life you will meet everything, joys and sorrows, losses, celebrations, promotions, changes at the top.  
> The main couple, and the main protagonists, is the KakaSaku, but as you can see there are many other couples, many other characters in play.  
> I already have a series of "collateral" stories to this one in the works (one of them is one of the wedding anniversaries of Kakashi and Sakura who will see them in an onsen, or Kakashi's forty-third birthday which will become very hot), but we'll talk about it later.  
> A handful of chapters participate in Fictober 2019.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two months have passed since the end of the war and the first Christmas of peace among the ninja Nations is approaching.  
> Gai decides to throw a party, and not just any party but an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DATE: Wednesday, 25th December 1679  
> TITLE: Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John Lennon  
> Fictober 2019 - Day 1: "It will be fun, trust me."
> 
> Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Maito Gai, Hatake Kakashi & Haruno Sakura  
> Characters: Hatake Kakashi, Maito Gai, Haruno Sakura, Rock Lee, Tenten, Yamato | Tenzo, Uzumaki Naruto, Sai, Tsunade, Shizune, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Yamanaka Ino, Yuhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Mirai, Aburame Shino, Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Akamaru, Sarutobi Konohamaru, Ise Udon, Kazamatsuri Moegi  
> Additional Tags: Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

Hatake Kakashi, hero of two ninja wars, feared in all the Countries, and the future Hokage had never been so ashamed in all his splendid thirty-one years of life.

Three days ago he had visited Gai at his apartment. The iryō-nins of the hospital had discharged him only the previous evening and wanted to make sure that he had no problems with the wheelchair. He had found him with his two students, Rock Lee and Tenten, and had been dragged into the living room to toast the beginning of the Summer of Youth (or something like that). But Kakashi had known his friend for more than twenty-five years and knew how to read the pain that was hidden under his usual smile, pain shared with the two kids. Of course, they had lost Neji in the war after all.

So when his old rival had announced that he was throwing a Christmas party and that of course Kakashi was invited, he had accepted. Terrible mistake, really, really terrible. Gai had explained that it was going to be a themed party and, to be precise, an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. Kakashi had felt the hair on his arms stand up at the thought. So he had tried to break free.

«Oh, too bad, I don’t have anything like that in my wardrobe».

«Don’t worry, my Rival. I’ve already talked about it with Tenzō and he said he’ll think of giving you one», Gai had assured him, his usual smile stretching his cheeks and now seemed to have a subtle sadistic streak.

«How… kind of him», Kakashi had muttered.

«Oh, come on, it will be fun! Trust me!» his friend had prompted him, his thumb raised in victory.

And Kakashi could not help but accept the invitation.

So now he was outside a wooden house, created by Tenzō for the occasion on the mountain of the Hokage, more than an hour late. It was only eight o’clock but night had already fallen long ago; but after all, those were the shortest days of the year.

He could hear the cheerful chatter coming from inside but the idea of being seen with that _thing_ on… For once Kakashi regretted not already having risen to the throne of the Hokage because in that case he would have assigned Tenzō to two long weeks of surveillance by Orochimaru. In the snow. With _Anko_. In fact, he could try to talk to Tsunade about it. Oh yes, his revenge would have been terrible.

«Do you plan to stay out here hiding for a long time, Kakashi-sensei?»

Kakashi turned away from his thoughts and saw Sakura slowly advance towards him. She was letting her hair grow, which now almost brushed her shoulders. He wondered if it was for Sasuke and part of him wanted to turn the question over to her, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer. The fourth member of Team 7 was still a taboo subject for her and Naruto… and in general for the Village which at the time was divided between those who wanted to punish him in an exemplary way for his past crimes and those who wanted forgiveness as thanks for the decisive intervention during the war – Kakashi was halfway between the two opinions, something else he _would not_ have talked about with his students. At that moment the Uchiha was still in the maximum security prisons, his eyes closed by a seal, chained and constantly under surveillance.

It was a sore point for all of them, but Sakura was probably the one who suffered the most. She had loved that boy for years, she had fought for him, she had chased him and had been rewarded by cold indifference. Kakashi still saw in his mind the moment when Sasuke had used the power of his eyes to make her fall into a genjutsu where he stabbed her heart with Raikiri. That October day he felt anger boil inside him for that so insensitive gesture, and now, two months later, the feeling hadn’t changed. The jōnin was pretty sure that Sakura had by now abandoned the idea of dancing away into the sunset with his love of all time, but he wasn’t entirely sure. He also hoped it was like this because he was pretty sure that Naruto’s brotherly feelings for Sasuke weren’t just brotherly anymore.

But after all, what did he know about youthful loves?

«Kakashi-sensei?» Sakura called him, rousing him from his thoughts.

«No, it’s too cold to stay here», he replied with a smile. «But I admit that the idea of running away crossed my mind».

«Luckily I went out to retrieve you, then», said the young woman, coming up to take his hand and dragging him towards the door. Kakashi put up just a little bit of resistance. «Nice sweater, by the way», she added seriously.

The jōnin felt the smile die on his lips.

«Yeah, now I _really_ want to go home».

Sakura laughed, a light but true laugh.

«I’m serious, it looks good on you. And the pattern is… ah, particular», she added, glancing over her shoulder at him. «I didn’t expect something so bold from you, sensei».

«Please, drop the sensei», Kakashi muttered, regretting more and more with each step that brought him closer to the noise and people. «And I didn’t buy it. It’s a gift from Tenzō».

Kakashi saw a moment of doubt in Sakura’s eyes, probably confused by the name (why Tenzō insisted on being called “Yamato” by the kids was a mystery to him), but then shook her head and smiled slightly.

«Sadistic. But I can grasp the spirit».

Kakashi grasp the sense of it too, really, but that didn’t make it any more pleasant.

«Yours is very nice. Although I think that Pakkun wouldn’t be pleased by the catty pattern».

«I’ll try not to let him see me, then».

And she opened the door.

Too much people. There were really too much people for his tastes. Maybe he could still escape if he got rid of Sakura.

«Let’s go, Kakashi, it will be fun», she urged, pulling him inside and closing the door.

Shit.

Gai was on him in three seconds flat, pushed a little too hard by Lee. They both wore the same ridiculous sweater: the same green as their typical spandex suit, with a Santa Claus embroidered on the chest, taking on an arm wrestling match against Rudolph the reindeer. Kami-sama, and Kakashi complained about his. If that was the alternative, perhaps he had to bring Tenzō a bouquet of flowers.

«My Rival! You are here! And with only an hour late», the “landlord” greeted him.

«You know, out here I met a kitten who was waiting in the cold and I stopped to chat with her».

«Don’t blame me for your tardiness, Kakashi-sen… Kakashi», Sakura scolded him, throwing a glass of what looked like eggnog and smelled of very alcoholic eggnog in his hand. Yes, it would help him get to the end of that evening.

«Kakashi-sensei, you’re here!» Naruto’s howl came and he pounced on the jōnin, surrounding his shoulders with the only arm that remained.

His face was as red as the sweater he was wearing, his blond hair was unkempt, his blue eyes were smiling and slightly shiny – and not ‘cause the tears. His hair had grown a bit and it reminded him more than ever of Minato-sensei.

«Please, Naruto, I haven’t been your teacher for four years, don’t call me that».

«You’ll always be my Kakashi-sensei».

«Disturbing». Sai. Always so delicate, that boy.

«Your sweater is ludicrous, Kakashi-sensei», the Uzumaki continued, giggling. Drunk, definitely drunk. «I like it. It’s funny».

«Blame Tenzō».

«Senpai, I already asked you to call me Yamato, please», came the protest of his old kohai, who came from somewhere with a plate of sushi in hand and a beer in the other. His cheeks were a little red, a sign that this was probably not the first drink of the evening. What the heck had happened in there in just one hour?

«And I asked you not to call me “senpai”. As you can see, we cannot have everything in life».

«I’ll start to call you “Hokage-sama” than».

«Only if you want to find yourself watching Orochimaru in the snow. With Anko», he threatened, he threatened, now more than ever convinced of the goodness of his intentions of revenge.

«Kakashiiiiii-senseiiii!» Naruto intervened, squeezing him even tighter as he stared at him with comically wide eyes. «Are you becoming Hokage?!»

«Yes, Naruto, we already told you», Sakura said, returning with a glass and a couple of cookies.

Big mistake because the boy broke away from Kakashi to throw himself on her, almost making her pour the eggnog. She rolled her eyes but allowed him to squeeze her.

«Sakura-chaaaan. Have you seen Kakashi-sensei’s sweater?» he whispered in her ear with the obvious intention of not being heard by the person concerned… with little result, however. «Isn’t it ludicrous?»

She giggled, peeping again at his chest. The joy spread to Naruto who burst into a coarse laugh, immediately followed by the girl and those present who had followed the exchange (Tenzō, that traitor).

«Very funny», Kakashi muttered as he swallowed half of his drink taking advantage of the general hilarity.

Kakashi sighed but the reality was that he was struggling to hold back his smile. That’s why he was there. That’s why he had accepted to wear that hideous sweater and find himself in the midst of too many people. For his students, for his friends. If wearing a shirt embroidered with a Christmas tree tanned like a rapper allowed them to laugh out loud as they were doing now, well, then it was worth it.

Or was it what he was thinking until the moment he was blinded by the light of a flash.

Lee, still giggling, had taken a camera from Gai’s wheelchair bag and snapped a photo of him, Sakura and Naruto just as he ruffled the latter’s hair. Well, now he had to destroy that film before anyone else saw the future Hokage dressed as a drunk 13-year-old.

«Don’t even think about it, Rival», Gai warned, reading his mind.

He was about to reply when Ino joined the fray, who immediately launched herself at Sai; with her there was Shikamaru, who was holding little Mirai in his arms and had a terrified look on his face. Kakashi spotted Kurenai at the dessert table and waved to her.

Finally his former students stopped paying attention to him, too focused on brawling with each other and with his companions, and he was able to migrate away from the door to a wooden bench in a corner, on which he dropped disconsolately. It was going to be a long, long evening. But it wasn't as bad as he’d feared. From his corner, an _Icha Icha_ in his hand, Kakashi observed those present celebrating, eating, laughing, playing and his heart was light. That pain that had been there from the war, which had been there for more than twenty years, began to diminish and dilute in the warmth of the affection of his companions. It was a new and pleasant sensation and Kakashi was starting to wallow in it.

He had been there for almost an hour when Tsunade, her face as red as a pepper, a bottle of sake in one hand, let herself fall beside him, snorting.

«I see you’re enjoying yourself». The tone wasn’t ironic and Kakashi tried to force himself to assume his usual composure: if a tremendously drunk Godaime could read his expression so well he had to give himself an attitude.

«In a way», he conceded.

«Good. Do it while you can, because from March you will be screwed», laughed the woman, leaping to her feet and staggering fearfully.

Kakashi reached out to grab her before she fell, but Shizune was already there.

«Tsunade-sama, maybe we should –»

«More sake, Shizune!» she ignored her and marched off to the drinks table.

Kakashi smiled and went back to reading his book. Not even five minutes later he was interrupted by a hand offering glazed gingerbread cookies. Sakura.

«May I sit?» The man smiled, accepting a biscuit – gingerbread was one of the few sweets he ate willingly – and gesturing for her to sit next to him. «Are you ok, Kakashi-sen… Kakashi?»

«Perfectly. And you?»

«I’m fine. It is funny. I wasn’t expecting it», the young woman admitted while with a smile she looked at Naruto arguing with Kiba over his attempt to use poor Akamaru as a reindeer.

«Weren’t you in the mood for a party? »

«Not particularly, no. There is so much work to do with the war wounded that the only thing I want in the evening is to stretch out on the sofa to read. Coming to a party was not really in my priorities».

«I see».

«Did you meet Sasuke-kun, recently?»

Ah. There it is.

«I checked in on him last week. He’s fine», he added before she could ask. “ _As far as the situation permits it_ ”, he finished to himself.

«I’m happy» Sakura said, a small smile on her lips, her hands cradling the glass in her lap.

«You know, I’m sure that Tsunade-sama would give you permission to see him from time to time, if you insist», encouraged Kakashi.

«Maybe. But I’m fine like that. I prefer not to see him».

«Really?»

«Really», she assured him and smiled at him. A real, bright smile. In peace.

Kakashi reciprocated and stole the last gingerbread cookie from her hand, devouring half of it before she could look at it. And he also smiled when she nudged him in the ribs – probably cracking a couple and nearly choking him.

«Thief».

«You look good with your hair like that», complimented the jōnin as he discreetly massaged the offended spot.

«Don’t think about making me forget that you’re a cookie thief just by paying me a compliment», Sakura said, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting her lips. «I don’t get distracted that easily».

He ruffled her hair and smiled at her grim face.

«Come on, ladies and gentlemen, let’s all take a souvenir photo!» called Gai from the other side of the room.

Sakura jumped to her feet and peered at him questioningly noting that he had resumed reading _Icha Icha_.

«Go ahead. I’m fine here », he said flatly.

«I don’t think so».

And, just like at the beginning of the evening, she grabbed his hand and dragged him away. But this time Kakashi fought harder: it was already bad that there was _a photograph_ of him in that ridiculous sweater, let alone _a second one_. No, not even dead. Too bad that her captor possessed inhuman strength and prevented any attempt to escape her.

It took a few manoeuvres to get everyone in the frame but finally the Hatake found himself pressed between Sakura and Tenzō, with Naruto and Sai crouched in front of him to prevent him from escaping. Oh, by March he would have made them pay for it, all of them. He would find the most boring D-Rank missions in the entire Land of Fire and assign them to them. Oh, yes, he would.

«Come on, Kakashi, smile a little bit», urged Gai, who was peering at him from behind the easel.

«No. I don’t want to do it, so I won’t smile», he muttered.

«Kakashi-senseiiiii! It’s just a photograph!» Naruto protested, pulling his trouser’s leg insistently. «We want to remember your sweater forever!»

«I’ll burn them all», Kakashi threatened, stubbornly sulking.

«Now I’ll start the self-timer. Smile!» Gai warned and, in a hurry, pushed on the wheels to go and stand in the empty space in front of Lee.

Too bad he underestimated the power of the momentum and ended up hitting Shino and Hinata, nearly knocking the poor girl down, and hitting Chōji’s feet who howled in pain. Finally he managed to settle down and unsheathed his huge smile and thumb that were his signature as he posed. But the flash did not come.

«Gai-sensei…»

«It’ll take it. Patience, Lee».

Ten more seconds.

«You will see that it clicks».

Ten more seconds.

«Just a second…»

Ten more seconds.

«Why the hell doesn’t it snap?!» Tsunade howled as the flash illuminated them.

Kakashi smiled.

* * *

«Gai?»

«Yes, my Rival?»

«Can you print a copy of those photos for me too?»

«Sure thing, Kakashi».


	2. It’s the Right Time to Rock the Night Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In spite of Kakashi's bad mood, the party has moved to his new home and the silence he loves so much is quickly replaced by chatter and toast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DATE: Friday, 25th December 1680  
> TITLE: Jingle Bell Rock - Randy Travis  
> Fictober 2019 - Day 19: "Yes, I admit it, you were right."
> 
> Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi & Maito Gai, Uzumaki Naruto & Sasuke Uchiha, Hatake Kakashi & Yuhi Kurenai  
> Characters: Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura, Maito Gai, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Inuzuka Kiba, Yuhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Mirai, Aburame Shino, Hyuga Hinata, Sai, Rock Lee, Tenten, Yamato | Tenzo, Tsunade, Shizune, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Yamanaka Ino, Akamaru, Sarutobi Konohamaru, Ise Udon, Kazamatsuri Moegi  
> Additional Tags: Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, Rokudaime Hatake Kakashi

«Why the hell did I agree to do this?»

«Because you love us, Kakashi», Sakura replied as she placed a glass full of sake in his hand.

«I’m starting to doubt my common sense then», he muttered.

He had moved into that big house just a few months ago. He had fought tooth and nail against the Council in order to stay in his old bachelor flat. After all, even though he was the Hokage, he was still a bachelor who spent twelve or more hours a day in his office, so he didn’t need a house of that size. Eventually, however, after months of back and forth, he had had to give in to compromise and moved into a house far too big for his liking. In short, what did he do with all that space? It was practically twice the size of the house he lived in as a child, a house which, moreover, he had abandoned precisely because _it was too big_. Of course, he had to admit that there were positives. For example the huge tub was a definite plus. And also the engawa and the large garden that its ninken were quick to baptize; or the chashitsu, and the fact that all the rooms were covered with tatami… Okay he had to admit, he liked that house to death, but he still considered it a waste to use such a space for one man.

In the end, however, he got used to it; as he was now used to the idea of always having around, lurking in the shadows, at least a couple of ANBU teams to observe him. Luckily he didn’t have a love life – or sex life – or it would have been very embarrassing indeed. He had also begun to invite the full Team 7 to dinner once a week… or at least the part that was still in Konoha.

In fact, Sasuke had been away from the Village for months, since they had released him in late May, and had only returned two weeks ago. He had offered to host him, but the boy had refused and had asked – yes, he had asked, and also quite politely – to be able to use his old apartment (which itself no longer existed as it had been destroyed during Pain’s attack, but Kakashi had found a vacant flat in that part of the Village that would have been perfect for his former student). And so they had their first dinner full, and it had been embarrassing and risky (Sai and his big mouth), but in the end everyone had come home whole and Kakashi thought it was a great victory. The fact that Sasuke didn’t leave immediately was another point in favour.

Living in a large house could be a positive thing, after all… or at least he had thought so until that day. Because at that moment, on Christmas evening, after a hard day in the office, with about twenty people walking around his house, at that moment he couldn’t remember all those positive aspects of having abandoned his small bachelor’s apartment.

How did he get into that trouble?

Obviously it was all Gai’s fault. The previous week, in fact, his friend – or perhaps now an _ex_ -friend – had shown up at the office with two bentos full of grilled eggplants and salmon onigiri, probably one of his favourite dishes, and treacherously, between a chat and the other, when Kakashi had finally started to relax, he had hinted at his idea of reviving the themed Christmas party he had held the previous year. He wasn’t sure how, but at the end of his lunch break Gai had gone out that door after having wrung his promise not only to attend the party but also to _host_ it in his new home.

Shit. He began to seriously consider the idea of finishing the work begun by Madara.

Sakura’s voice roused him from his murderous thoughts.

«Oh, come on. It is the first Christmas since you became Hokage. Relax a little and celebrate», she scolded him, nudging him on the side with her elbow.

«You remind me of Gai».

«I’ll take that as a compliment»

Kakashi grunted and emptied the alcohol down his throat as she cast an amused look at Naruto and Sasuke who were arguing animatedly in the corner of the room. It was nice to see her so peaceful despite the presence of Uchiha.

«Do you think those two will ever get along? They fight like two brothers».

«I don’t think that’s the kind of relationship they have in mind», Kakashi said absently.

«What do you mean?»

Kakashi didn’t answer but just gave the two boys a meaningful look, silently inviting Sakura to do the same. After a few minutes of clinical observation, when Kakashi’s head was already elsewhere, the kunoichi held her breath.

«No!» she exclaimed, staring at him with wide eyes. «You don’t mean…»

Okay, maybe he shouldn’t have said that. During the last year he had observed his former student: he had watched her kill herself at work in the hospital, train in ninjutsu (which had always been her weak point), take missions and become jōnin. And he was right next to her when Sasuke had left Konoha in May; he had watched her ask him to stay and for a moment had expected her to offer to leave with him. But he didn’t and, while the Uchiha had disappeared in the distance, she had grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly for a second; then she had smiled at him and went back to the hospital and they had never talked about it again.

From that moment he had always tried to avoid the speech, a delicacy that Naruto did not seem to grasp. However Sakura seemed more and more serene as time passed, which made him breathe a sigh of relief: he loved all three – all four – his students, even Sasuke, but he was also adamant that the boy didn’t deserve Sakura’s love. So he revelled in the idea that his only student had overcome the crush on Uchiha.

But maybe she wasn’t ready to hear that truth yet. Perhaps he had exaggerated putting that bug in her ear. And now how the hell was he going to make things right?

«Do you really think Naruto and Sasuke…» Sakura whispered, her eyes wide open darting between him and the two boys. «I’ll kill them for not telling me!»

Kakashi raised his eyebrows, unable to hide his disbelief. That wasn’t exactly the reaction he had expected. He had imagined uncontrollable crying spiced with homicidal rage, not happy excitement.

«Oh, don’t make that face. I buried those feelings a long time ago and I’m happy for them, that’s all», she told him, her brow furrowed as she watched her teammates. «But I’ll kill them for not telling me».

The weight that he had felt settling on his soul suddenly disappeared and Kakashi allowed himself to smile and wink at her as he let himself sink a little into the sofa.

«Maa, Sakura-chan, I don’t think they’re even aware of it».

«You think?»

«Well, I think Sasuke is subconsciously aware of it, but Naruto certainly isn’t».

«Of course, after all, it’s the two of them we’re talking about. Do you think we should intervene?»

Kakashi shook his head decisively.

«I have no intention of meddling. It’s totally out of my duties», he replied, and took advantage of his former student’s distraction to empty the shot of sake. «And I’m too old for these things», he added, shaking his head to relieve the burning pain in his throat.

«You’re thirty-two», Sakura pointed out, sipping the liqueur in turn and glancing at him sideways.

«That in this kind of business it’s like having eighty-seven».

«You know, you should learn to see the glass half full».

He smiled and showed her the porcelain cup.

«Right now it’s completely empty».

Sakura laughed and stood up, reaching out her hand in request.

«Give it to me, Hokage-sama, I’m going to fill it for you».

«Don’t worry about this poor old man and go have fun: I think Kiba is coming here to ask you for a dance».

«Oh, Kami-sama…»

Kakashi saw the panic in her green eyes but when she turned away with the obvious intention of running away, the young Inuzuka was already two steps away, his smile broad and warm.

«Hokage-sama… Sakura…» he greeted them with a short bow of his head. «Do you wanna Dance?» he then asked to her.

The young woman gave the Hokage a look that was an obvious request for help but he smiled and turned to Kiba.

«I think she’d love it. We were just talking about how much she wanted to take a lap on the track», Kakashi said jovially, ignoring the glare of his former student.

«Oh, really? I’m glad I passed then», the young man exclaimed, as he grabbed Sakura’s hand and dragged it towards the centre of the room, leaving the man to sit better on the sofa.

Kakashi chuckled as he extracted his volume of _Icha Icha Paradise_ from the pouch, opened it at random and started reading… only to remember that this _was not Icha Icha Paradise_ but the Scroll of Seals. He really had to remember to put a new volume in his pocket. Maybe he could slip away for a few minutes and go upstairs to get one. But no, he was tired, and the idea of leaving his beautiful new sofa, so tremendously comfortable, was not at all attractive; not even if the prize was I _cha Icha_.

Deprived of his favourite pastime he let his mind wander as he scanned his companions in the room. He had only been Hokage for ten months and was already tired of all the papers he had to face: it was no wonder that Tsunade always had a bottle of sake ready in the drawers of his desk. Not to mention how much he lacked active duty: he had been a soldier since the age of five and now managed to carve out a couple of hours in the evening to practice at home alone and only one hour a week against Sakura or Tenzō… The rest was pure and simple office work… a deadly bore.

«Ehi, Kakashi».

The Hokage looked away from the dancers in front of him to look at the woman who sat next to him. Red eyes and indomitable black hair, Kurenai hadn’t changed much in those years and Kakashi could still see the little girl she once was. Even the sadness that had always been present in her eyes for a couple of years had now almost disappeared.

«Kurenai. How are you? Where’s Mirai-chan?»

«Oh, Shino and Hinata are taking care of her», she replied, pointing to a corner of the room where the little girl was playing on the floor with the two kids.

«They look like a young married couple», Kakashi said.

«Please don’t make me think about it. I can’t get over the fact that they’re adults now», Kurenai muttered, a smile warming her face as she looked at her former students.

«I understand you», Kakashi assured, the thought that flew over to his kids.

«I wanted to talk to you», the kunoichi said after a moment, bringing her attention back to him. «I’d like to return to active duty».

This was new. Ever since Asuma’s death, Kurenai had stopped going out on missions, and on the rare occasions they had addressed the conversation, his friend had always seemed more than happy that way.

«Are you sure?»

«Yes, I am. Mirai is the best thing that has ever happened to me, but I need to go back to being a kunoichi as well as a mother».

«I see», Kakashi said softly.

He had tried to be next to his old friend when Asuma died and she was carrying on the pregnancy without her husband. It had been a long journey but in the end it was all right, the baby was born and she was painfully like her father; another blow for Kurenai. Then there was the war, and after that there was reconstruction and the difficulty of learning to live in a climate of peace. And when Kakashi became Hokage, the little time he had once devoted to his friends was drastically reduced. He felt guilty for not having been next to her more in the last year. He could clearly see Asuma’s disappointed gaze and that didn’t make things any easier. But maybe now he could help her, at least with this request.

«How about starting with short missions? I would need a jōnin to accompany a team of chūnin specialized in genjutsu to capture a band of bandits», he said casually.

«It sound perfect. Thank you, Hokage-sama».

Kakashi shivered. Really, he hated that honorific.

«Now, if you call me that, the deal is broken», he muttered, throwing her a displeased look.

Kurenai laughed heartily… laugh that was interrupted by Mirai’s desperate cry.

«This is my exit line. Excuse me», the woman sighed, standing up and squeezing his shoulder in a gesture of greeting and thanks.

Kakashi smiled as he watched his friend run to her daughter and take her in her arms to calm her down. At that moment the music also changed and the man closed his eyes enjoying the slow pace and the happy voices that surrounded him.

He must have dozed off because he woke up to a camera flash that dazzled him even through closed lids. In front of him, in his wheelchair, there was Gai, another _ridiculous_ sweater on, the machine in his hands, his usual smile that dazzled him almost as much as the flash.

«Gai…»

«Yes, my Rival?»

«I’ll burn that thing», he threatened gravely.

But they had been friends for too long for the other to take him seriously. Indeed, his threat was met with a joyful laugh.

«You said it last year too, but then you wanted the photos», Gai teased him, as he manoeuvred his wheelchair to approach Kakashi and watch Sai and Ino dance badly on the dance floor.

«You know, old age is making you more unbearable».

«Oh, Kakashi, you are still the same», laughed Gai, patting him on the shoulder.

He didn’t have time to find something shrewd to say because he was distracted by the approach of a head with pink hair.

«Gai-sensei», Sakura greeted, bowing her head slightly and showering him with one of her smiles. After the war Gai had asked the kids to stop calling him “sensei” but Sakura seemed to be stubborn with the old honorific and Kakashi knew why: every time he was addressed like that, his friend’s dark eyes shone until every trace of that veil of sadness that had accompanied him for more than a year now disappeared. And the Rokudaime was tremendously grateful to Sakura for that. «Is Kakashi bothering you?»

«You should ask _me_ if _he_ is bothering me», grumbled the Hokage as he intercepted the gingerbread cookie that the kunoichi had offered to Gai… however, earning a slap on the hand. Was it possible that there was no longer any respect even for the Kage of the Land of Fire?

Then Sakura sat next to him, reaching out to them the plate full of cookies and pretzels that she was holding, and started talking to Gai about the training sessions she was doing with Lee, about a certain kata that was difficult for her, and Kakashi relaxed in that chatter, paying only partial attention.

He shook himself when he realized that he had fallen asleep again and that now he was alone with Sakura, his friend across the room crying with joy along with Lee – he didn’t want to know anything about the latter. Blinking slightly, he noticed that a bottle of sake had appeared on the coffee table in front of the sofa and the kunoichi was sipping the hot liquid as she stared at him with a delicately frowning brow.

«What? There’s something on my face?»

«You work too much, Kakashi», she scolded him, ignoring the joke. «You have to slow down and find time to rest».

«There’s so much to do», he replied, shrugging and accepting the full glass that was offered to him.

«I know, but if you freak out because you don’t get enough sleep what use do you think you have as Hokage?»

«It’s not a very nice thing to say, Sakura-chan».

She shrugged and smiled at him, a slightly roguish smile that made him foresee the joke that was blooming on her lips. Too bad that at that moment the excited voices of Naruto and Sasuke interrupted the joke in the bud. The two boys weren’t in the living room with them and, judging by the sound, they were probably on the engawa… and the tone of their voices suggested that it would be a long and difficult discussion.

«Ok, I admit it, you were right: Naruto is in love with Sasuke», Sakura said at one point, nibbling at the arm of her cookie. «Do you think we should tell him?»

«He’ll figure it out for himself when he’s ready», Kakashi shook his head.

«Do you realize that in Naruto’s time it could mean _years_?»

«Then it will have to be Sasuke who gets his head out of the sand. I don’t intend to intrude».

«It would be a good start if he took off the stick in his ass», muttered Sakura, sipping some more sake.

«Maybe he’s practicing for when Naruto confesses», Kakashi commented absently as he quickly disappeared a cookie behind the mask.

Sakura stared at him with wide eyes as her cheeks, already red from alcohol, became even redder, evidently from embarrassment. Kakashi couldn’t hold back a smile at the sight.

«You pig».

«You thought the same, I know».

«Maybe», she admitted after a moment, causing her smile to widen. «But certain things are thought and not said», Sakura added, beating his hand that was about to steal another cookie.

«The great thing about being Hokage is that I can say whatever I want».

«I hope you don’t do it with the other Kages or you’ll cause a diplomatic incident».

«You have not faith in me, Sakura-chan, and this hurt me».

Sakura chuckled at his pained expression, but suddenly she turned serious, terribly serious, and for a moment Kakashi was afraid to listen to her next words.

«Of course I have faith in you, Kakashi. I would entrust my life to you without hesitation».

At those serious words, pronounced with that spark in her eyes, the Hokage felt his traitors cheeks flush and had to look away for a moment and clear his throat before answering.

«Thank you, Sakura».

She just squeezed his hand, attracting his attention, and smiled at him, the seriousness vanished in a flash.

«Well, I need some more cookies. Are you waiting for me here?»

«Always».


	3. All the Way Home I’ll Be Warm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura finds herself giving love advice to Lee and, to recover from the conversation, decides to get drunk on eggnog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DATE: Saturday, 25th December 1681  
> TITLE: Let it Snow - Dean Martin  
> Fictober 2019 - Day 8: "Can you stay?"
> 
> Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Haruno Sakura, Gaara/Rock Lee, Haruno Sakura & Rock Lee, Nara Shikamaru/Temari  
> Characters: Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi, Nara Shikamaru, Rock Lee, Maito Gai, Uzumaki Naruto, Sai, Yamanaka Ino, Uchiha Sasuke, Inuzuka Kiba, Shiranui Genma, Yuhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Mirai, Aburame Shino, Hyuga Hinata, Tenten, Yamato | Tenzo, Tsunade, Shizune, Akimichi Choji, Akamaru, Sarutobi Konohamaru, Ise Udon, Kazamatsuri Moegi, Temari (mentioned), Gaara (mentioned)  
> Additional Tags: Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, Rokudaime Hatake Kakashi, ANBU! Sakura, eggnog, too much drink, take me home

Sakura was tired. She had just returned from a mission with an ANBU group that had exhausted her more than three consecutive shifts in the hospital. Technically speaking, she was not part of the special teams and Kakashi had been reluctant to entrust her the first time, but there was a terrible shortage of iryō-nin in every department of Konoha. And so twenty days earlier, in the middle of the night, she had left with three ANBU teams for what had been her third mission. They had crossed the entrance door of the Village early that morning, almost five days late on the schedule; but they were all back and for Sakura this was the result that mattered most. She had already written and left her mission report to Tenzō and all she wanted was to stretch out and sleep for a month. And maybe first drink a couple of the beers she kept in the fridge… or even a dozen, given how she felt. But no, she had promised she would go to the Christmas party which, it seemed, was becoming a tradition.

On the one hand, she was happy because she really wanted to see her friends again (and Kakashi, to see Kakashi again… but she would never have admitted _this_ particular desire, not even to herself). But her bones felt so heavy that she wasn’t sure she could be of particular company. Lying on the sofa she glanced at the clock. She still had more than an hour before she had to go to the Rokudaime residence but she knew that if she snuggled in the soft pillows she would surely fall asleep, so she started tidying and dusting and put in order the books and doing whatever allowed her to keep her eyes open.

However, at some point her mind must have engaged the autopilot because, without knowing how, she found herself on the way to Kakashi’s house, her new sweater on, a bag with a couple of bottles of sake in her hand and in terrible delay.

The streets of Konoha were crowded with families, civilians and non-civilians, and Sakura decided to take the route of the roofs. In ten minutes she found herself in front of the gate of the two-story house in which Kakashi had been living for more than a year now. She had made fun of him, at first, for the radical transition from his bachelor apartment to a family house, but the truth was that it was a wonderful structure and somehow it suited him.

In the front garden, partially hidden in the shade of a tree, there was Shikamaru, a cigarette in his mouth, his eyes turned to the sky. Sakura froze for a moment, undecided whether to ignore his presence and simply join the party. After all, the young Hokage’s assistant was an introverted type who loved solitude. But he was her friend, so she had to at least try to see if he needed help. So she walked slowly towards him, an encouraging smile on her face.

«Sakura», the man greeted absently, glancing at her.

«Ehi, Shikamaru, is Temari in there? I have here the recipe for those biscuits she asked me for».

«She went back to Suna a few days ago».

«Oh, is it already time for the Delegations to return home?»

«Mmm…»

After the end of the war, the five Kages had decided to cement the Alliance by creating the Delegations. Each Village had chosen four groups of five shinobi who would serve as permanent ambassadors. Obviously, a calendar had been established to allow the Delegates from time to time to return home to greet families and friends and to report to their Kage. The Delegations had been in operation for almost a year now and seemed to be working perfectly (especially for Shikamaru and Temari who were involved in a romantic relationship).

«Then Lee will be there too, today», Sakura reflected, speaking more to herself than to her friend. «Gai-san will be in seventh heaven».

Rock Lee was one of the five Delegates stationed in Suna. He was thrilled to accept the assignment and had stated that training in the hot climate of Kaze no Kuni would be a huge challenge against himself.

«Mmm…»

«Okay, I’ll leave you to your thoughts. But don’t stay out here too long or you’ll freeze. Doctor’s order».

Satisfied with the nod she received, Sakura went back to the door and knocked. The answer came practically instantly when Naruto threw open the door and dragged her inside grabbing her arm and without even a greeting.

«Sakura-chan, you’re late!» he scolded her, holding her in one of his rib-crushing hugs.

«I’ve been busy», she justified herself, taking off her coat and shoes and tidying them away in the genkan with the ones of the other guests. «Nice sweater, by the way», she added with a smile, eyeing his former teammate who was wearing a red wool sweater embroidered with a reindeer holding a beer and a sign that read “REINBEER”.

«Yours is very beautiful too. Come, you have to try the eggnog: I made all by myself».

Ok, this was a problem. Knowing Naruto, there was probably enough alcohol in that eggnog to revive all the Kages in history and perhaps even Rikudō Sennin. Oh well, since her initial plan was to stay home and get drunk on beer it didn’t matter much after all, so she followed him to the drinks table and without thinking twice downed a glass of clear liquid (which as expected was really _really_ alcoholic).

She was on her fourth glass and was chatting with Sai and Ino when she felt a hand brush against her arm.

Next to them was Rock Lee, a creepy green-and-red sweater with a bodybuilder Santa over his usual creepy spandex suit.

«Sakura-san, may I speak with you?» he asked, his voice a little uncertain, his black eyes darting towards Ino and Sai.

«Sure. But please, we said no more honorifics. We’re friends, aren’t we?»

Lee smiled, but it wasn’t his usual toothy smile. Sakura worried.

«Can we move to a more… quiet place?» he added, throwing another strange look at her two friends.

Okay, now she was terribly worried. Lee, the energetic Lee, the man who got up at dawn to run dozens of laps around the walls of Konoha and countless other exercises; Lee, the noisy Lee, who had inherited Gai’s thunderous laughter and could be heard coming from miles away; did _this_ Lee want to go to a _quieter_ place?!

«Sure», she hastened to say and led him out of the living room and into the side corridor towards the small door leading to the chashitsu.

The room was small and cosy, probably her favourite part of the house (excluding the back garden, of course, which had stolen her heart from the moment she first had laid eyes on it). Lee sat down opposite her in seiza, a little stiff.

Sakura waited silently for the boy to gather his thoughts, or courage, or whatever he needed to speak. The silence dilated between them but, perhaps because of the alcohol stirring in her stomach, perhaps because she considered Lee a friend, Sakura did not feel uncomfortable and remained curled up absently scrutinizing the parchment hanging in the tokonoma.

«How do you know if a person is in love with you?» he finally began, drawing her attention and chaining his dark eyes to her green ones.

«Ah». Ok, this was something she didn’t expect. Had she been wiser and more sober, she probably would have looked for a way to get out of that situation, but she respected Lee too much to ignore his plea for help. So she sighed deeply and ran a hand over her eyes trying to drive away the tiredness. «You see… I don’t think there are any… standard parameters to say it. It also depends on the person in question, on how their usual behaviour is with others and how it is when they are with you».

«They are very quiet, usually, but they talk a lot to me», Lee began uncertainly. Sakura, although a little uncomfortable, smiled encouragingly. «And sometimes, as we speak, they take my hand or strokes my arm. Is that a good sign?»

The situation was starting to be seriously embarrassing, much more than she thought. Really, she loved Lee, but talking about love… oh, Kami-sama, what if he wanted to talk about sex? She wasn’t ready, she hadn’t had enough eggnog for that.

«Are they… ah… physical with other people?» she forced herself to ask, immediately cursing herself for the possible double meaning.

The man shook his head and she internally drew a huge sigh of relief.

«Then it’s likely that they have feelings for you», Sakura said, painting on her face an encouraging smile.

But Lee didn’t seem relieved at all.

«So why didn’t he answer when I kissed him and told him I love him?» he asked, tears filling his round dark eyes.

Ah. Shit. Now she understood the reason for her friend’s sadness. Sakura knew too well the stinging pain of unrequited love and, worse still, of an unaccepted confession. It is something capable of breaking a person from the inside and often comes out completely changed.

«Did he say or do anything after the kiss?» she asked uncertainly, trying to put a little sweetness in her voice. She seemed to see Lee’s heart crumble slowly and she felt compelled to use all the delicacy she was capable of not to hurt his feelings further.

He shook his head again. Then, as if in second thoughts, he added: «He touched my arm and went to a meeting».

«And in the following days? Have you talked about it?»

«I left for Konoha two hours later».

«Ah». What the hell. For the umpteenth time she wondered how the fuck she got to listen to _Rock Lee’s_ heart problems. Especially since it seemed to her that she did not know this hesitant and subdued Lee at all; he seemed like a stranger to her, and he was a Lee she didn’t like very much. She wanted her friend back, and quickly too (a part of her made a note to leave for Suna the next day and instil some sense in a certain person’s head). «It’s not like you to leave something unspoken. I remember quite clearly that we had known each other for five minutes when you practically confessed your love to me».

This tore a half smile from him which was however watered down by the tears that now flowed freely down his cheeks.

«Yeah, well, it’s different with him».

«Yes, I see». Sakura smiled and squeezed his hand briefly. «So what do you think you’ll do?»

He looked at her with wide eyes.

«I don’t know. I thought you would have told me».

«Oh, Lee, that’s not how it works. You have to understand how deep your feelings for Gaara are and decide if it’s worth fighting for».

Lee froze, his mouth wide open, his eyes already huge that seemed to swallow the rest of his face.

«How did you know I was talking about Gaara-kun?!»

«Call it feminine intuition», Sakura said, holding back a laugh.

Okay, more than feminine intuition it was a whole series of coincidences and the fact that she had seen them on more than one occasion muttering to each other with their heads close together, or just touching each other so sweetly that Sakura couldn’t ignore it. And now his reaction had confirmed her suspicions. She honestly saw them very well together and was happy for them… so she had to do what she could to help those two morons solve the situation. She didn’t want Lee and Gaara to end up like Naruto and Sasuke who still didn’t realize they were in love.

Sakura realized that the unhealthy idea of being a Cupid was partially dictated by the four glasses of eggnog, but put the thought aside, telling herself that, anyway, it was Lee who had asked her for help, so it was her duty as a friend to do everything in her power to resolve the matter.

«Look Lee, I’m not an expert in matters of the heart, you know that», she began, taking his hand to get his attention. «But I can tell you, if what you feel is real, then you need to talk to Gaara. As soon as you get back to Suna; first thing».

«And what if he doesn’t want to listen?»

«He will want to listen. Trust me. I don’t know Gaara that well, but I know him enough to say that you probably took him by surprise; he had to mull over your confession, understand his feelings». Sakura hesitated for a moment but decided to continue. «You know his past, you probably know him better than I do; you know what he had to endure as a child, you know that for thirteen years he did not know love. You have to give him time to understand».

The kunoichi fell silent to allow him to mull over what she had said.

«Do you think I have a chance?» Lee finally asked, his voice a little broken.

She smiled encouragingly and squeezed his hand tighter.

«If I inherited the gambling habit from Tsunade-sama, I would definitely bet on you two».

And finally the man smiled and it was a smile like his own, so bright it warmed the room. Then he jumped to his feet, wiped away his tears and bowed low.

«Thank you for your assistance, Haruno-san».

«Yeah, sure, now let’s go back to the party or they will wonder where we ended up», Sakura muttered, a little embarrassed but also pleased.

Yes, she was confident, between those two it could work. Perhaps she should have assumed the role of Cupid for Sasuke and Naruto too… The thought vanished instantly when she laid her eyes on the two young men in question who were arguing bitterly in front of the door that led to the engawa. Oh well, they hadn’t asked for help and, as Kakashi had said last year, it was totally beyond her duties.

Dead tired, she walked back to the drinks table… the fact that the landlord was right there, pouring himself a shot of the sake that Sakura had brought (his favourite type, she knew well and had chosen it for that reason), it was just a coincidence.

«I need to drink», she began without even saying hello, filling a cup with eggnog (really, that stuff was addictive. She had to ask Naruto for the recipe).

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and smiled.

«Are you old enough?»

«I’ll be twenty in March and you know it very well».

«I’m the Hokage. It’s my duty to make sure that the laws are not broken».

Sakura shook her head and rattled her glass cup against Kakashi’s shot glass, before taking a generous sip of the lukewarm drink that instantly acted like a balm on her tired soul. The Hokage was looking at her strangely but she ignored the look to devote herself again to the eggnog.

«May I ask what are you trying to forget?»

«Thoughts. Thoughts and images of two certain ninja in interesting activities».

«I thought by now you had made peace with the idea of Naruto and Sasuke in bed together», he teased her giving her a couple of nudges in the ribs with his elbow.

«I wasn’t talking about them», she muttered, «but thanks for adding this image too».

Without further ado, Kakashi walked to a couple of chairs that had been placed in a corner of the living room and Sakura followed him without hesitation.

«So, who were you referring to?» he asked after they were seated, a little away from the other guests.

«I can’t tell you, it’s a friend’s confidence».

«Mmm». Kakashi drummed his leg with his fingers and was silent for a moment, so much so that Sakura, tired and her mind clouded by alcohol, was about to fall asleep. But then he spoke and she forced herself to open her lids again. «Since I saw you going out with Rock Lee before, I guess it’s him and Gaara», he said, almost casually.

Sakura’s mouth dropped open in disbelief.

«How do you…? I hate you».

«I have two eyes too, Sakura-chan», he chuckled.

«I hate you», she repeated as she brought the cup to her lips and sipped the eggnog again to hide a smile. After all, this was Kakashi, whose intelligence and analytical skills rivalled that of Shikamaru, shouldn’t have been surprised at his insight.

Sighing, Sakura closed her eyes for a moment, trying to dispel the fatigue.

* * *

She had fallen asleep. He had seen her muscles relax and the next instant he had taken the now almost empty cup from her hand and she had rested her head on his shoulder, breathing slow and regular.

The instant he had saw her cross the threshold of his house escorted by Naruto he had realized how tired she was, and he certainly could not blame her: the mission had been tough and had forced her to draw on the power of the Byakugō more than once to save her comrades.

Kakashi felt guilty. He felt guilty for having been the cause of her exhaustion, he felt guilty for not having sent her a message to tell her to rest and ignore the invitation to Gai’s party and he felt guilty because he was tremendously happy to have her there. A wiser person would have woken up the young woman and sent her home to sleep, but feeling the warmth of her body and the scent of her hair was too tempting and he wanted to enjoy it while he could.

He had realized he had feelings for Sakura a few months earlier and he was shocked. There were a thousand reasons why any romantic relationship with the young woman would not have been appropriate, such as their age difference or the fact that he had been her jōnin-sensei, even if only for a few months. His rational side knew this well; but his heart did not seem to want to hear reasons. Every time he tried to think of something else, to get certain thoughts out of his mind, something happened, Sakura would say something or just _laugh_ or look at him with those bright green eyes, and he found himself point and head, his heart beating so fast that threatening to come out of his chest. He had never felt this way and it terrified him.

And having her there, so vulnerable, asleep by his side was probably the best and worst thing that could have happened to him. And he was tremendously grateful to whatever divinity had made it happen. Unfortunately, that forbidden pleasure was destined to be short-lived. In fact, not even fifteen minutes after she had succumbed to sleep, Genma and Kiba’s drunken cackles made her open her eyes.

«Mmm», she moaned as she stretched. «I fell asleep, didn’t I?»

He smiled and nodded, trying not to think about the loss of her light weight against his hip, trying to ignore that traitorous part of his mind that suggested it would be so easy to get used to that presence next to him.

Sakura covered her face with her hands, obviously embarrassed.

«I’m so sorry. How embarrassing», she mumbled, a little from tiredness, a little from the alcohol she had already ingested – five glasses full of eggnog, if he hadn’t counted wrong. «Ok, I need a drink», she continued, jumping to her feet.

«Maybe you should go home and sleep», Kakashi suggested mildly, fully aware that his words would fall on deaf ears.

«Absolutely not. I left the house and now I’m going to enjoy the party. Do you want me to bring you something?»

«I’m okay, thanks».

Sakura nodded and left him there.

For the next hour, Kakashi stood aside to watch her chat and laugh and dance. And drink, drink _a lot_. He decided to intervene when he saw her staggering out of the living room and in a moment he was beside her.

«Are you heading home?» he asked cautiously. He had never seen Sakura so drunk and feared that she had inherited the legendary violent-hangover from the Godaime; in that case he didn’t want to be on the wrong side of her punches.

«No. Toilet», she replied as she actually walked towards the bathroom on the ground floor. He followed her at a safe distance but close enough to be beside her in a split second in case she fell down. «I can go there alone», she grumbled, glaring at him and staggering fearfully. Kakashi reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder, giving her just enough stability to keep her from falling face down.

«I know it very well. But let this old man pretend to be a gentleman».

«Mmm, okay, if you really want to».

And so Kakashi, immensely amazed at how quickly she gave in to her request, escorted her all the way down the hall and waited patiently outside the bathroom door but had to rush to grab her before she fell on her way out.

«Ok, little girl, I’ll take you home», he whispered as he pressed her to his chest, chasing away that little voice that told him that he was taking advantage of the situation and that there was absolutely no need to hug her like that.

«I’m not a child. I’m a woman now», she mumbled as she closed her eyes and allowed him to support her weight.

«Yes, I know». “ _I’m all too aware of that_ ”, he added to himself, mentally kicking himself a second later.

«And you’re the host. You cannot go away».

«I will be back soon. They are all old enough to get by without me for the next half hour», he reassured her while inside he prayed that she would give in. Indeed, he had been delighted to see her enter his house (every minute spent together was a blessing and a curse at the same time) but it was more important that she go home to rest rather than respond to his selfish desire to spend time with her.

«Okay».

Smiling, pleased and definitely surprised, Kakashi walked towards the exit, gesturing to Tenzō that he was entrusting him with the house and guests. He wrapped himself in his cloak and managed to get Sakura to wear the coat she had come in with, and after putting on the sandals they went out into the cold air.

The woman stumbled every ten meters and Kakashi had to fully support her weight and at a certain point he decided to risk asking the question he should have asked before even leaving the house: «If I carry you in my arms you will try to kill me or tear away my limbs with your teeth?»

“ _Good, reassuring and amused tone, and maybe she won’t kill you_ ”, a part of himself laughed at him.

«’ts ‘kay».

Oh.

«Really?»

«’m so tired», she nodded, her eyes closed, her voice only a whisper.

And Kakashi no longer hesitated and took her in his arms. She settled against his chest, her face buried in the hollow of his neck, her arms around his shoulders. Kakashi felt his heart pounding and hoped that she wouldn’t notice.

The walk to Sakura’s apartment was probably the longest and shortest of his life, and part of him groaned in protest when he saw their destination on the horizon.

It took a few manoeuvres but in the end he managed to get the keys from the woman’s thigh pouch and they found themselves in the pleasant warm. The apartment was small, one of the standard ones for chūnins without a family. Kakashi knew that Tsunade had offered her to move into one of the jōnin apartments three years earlier, but Sakura had refused to be able to stay closer to the hospital. For a moment he contemplated the idea of putting her feet back on the ground and simply returning to the party (not that he was dying to find himself still immersed in the din). But he decided to listen to his selfish side and, after kicking his and Sakura’s sandals in a corner of the hallway, he headed for the only bedroom and placed her on the soft mattress with all the delicacy he was able to.

«Will you be all right alone? Should I call someone? Ino, maybe…»

«No. It’s all right, thank you», she reassured him, smiling slightly, her eyes a little more focused than when they left his home. «I just have to… can you wait here while I change? Right now I could fall to the ground and pass out there».

«No problem». And he went back into the small anteroom that connected the living room to the bedroom and bathroom, half closing the door behind him, ignoring the rustle of clothes, trying not to imagine Sakura taking off her sweater.

A few minutes later the kunoichi called him back and Kakashi was a little surprised to find her already buried in the blankets.

«It’s all right?»

«Yeah. I feel much better already», she said, smiling at him, her eyes threatening to close at any moment. «Thanks for bringing me home. Maybe I was more tired than I thought».

He smiled back and shrugged.

«It’s not a problem. Goodnight, Sakura».

And he walked lightly to the door.

«Kakashi», she called him back. «Can you stay?»

Kakashi hesitated for a moment on the threshold, his mind struggling between his _need_ to please her and the more rational awareness that he couldn’t; but then he came back, took off his sweater remaining with the tank top to which the mask was attached and slipped under the covers on the other side of the bed from Sakura, who sighed happily and smiled, her lids drooping on her bright green eyes.

«Goodnight Kakashi».

«Goodnight Sakura».

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well yes, ladies and gentlemen, I entered the great and wonderful world of GaaLee (or LeeGaa? I have no idea what the "official" name for the ship is, but I prefer how GaaLee sounds). And it's all to blame for hikanon1336's drawings on Tumblr. If you don't know that page take a look around because they are too cute (even if Gaara is a little too feminine for my tastes).


	4. Hang all the Mistletoe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fourth Christmas since the end of the war. Gai decides to improvise Cupid by filling Kakashi's house with mistletoe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DATE: Sunday, 25th December 1682  
> TITLE: This Christmas – Chris Brown  
> Fictober 2019 – Day 5: “I might just kiss you.”
> 
> Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Haruno Sakura, Nara Shikamaru/Temari, Akimichi Choji/Karui  
> Characters: Hatake Kakashi, Maito Gai, Yamato | Tenzo, Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, Sai, Uchiha Sasuke, Yuhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Mirai, Tsunade, Shizune, Shiranui Genma, Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Choji, Temari, Karui, Sarutobi Konohamaru, Ise Udon, Kazamatsuri Moegi, Tenten, Aburame Shino, Uzuki Yugao, Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuga Hinata, Akamaru,  
> Additional Tags: Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, Rokudaime Hatake Kakashi, mistletoe, mistletoe kiss, first kiss

«Gai, explain to me once again why my house is full of plants».

Kakashi had returned to his home just a few minutes earlier and had found himself immersed in an apocalyptic scenario… at least for his taste. His old friend was in his living room, the wheelchair abandoned in a corner, a hanger under one arm while the other was trying to move the sofa by himself. Kakashi had ran to meet him ignoring the enthusiastic welcome, he had had forced him to return to the wheelchair and then had had got orders on how to best arrange it. _His_ sofa. In _his_ house. When he had finally took a look at the rest of the room he had felt his mouth drop open. The fusuma that divided the two living rooms had been opened and the table and chairs removed from the closet and placed around the perimeter. There were also two other tables that he usually kept upstairs, both already loaded with drinks and various types of food. The whole hall was decorated with coloured ribbons and festoons and, to his horror, with tufts of strange ribboned plants hanging from the ceiling.

«But it’s obvious, Kakashi, to spread love», the jōnin exclaimed jovially, thumb raised, eyes sparkling as he studied his creation.

«Spread love», Kakashi repeated softly, critically studying a twig hanging above them.

«Of course! It’s an old tradition: when two people are under the mistletoe they have to kiss». Perhaps Gai noticed his glance because he hastened to add: «Oh, no, not us, my Rival! I’m not interested». Another look. «I didn’t mean that you are not desirable. If I were looking for a person in my life it would be you, but you know that –»

«Okay, that’s enough, Gai, you explained yourself», he stopped him, feeling compassion for his friend. «I’m curious to know how you got Tenzō to do that».

The smile returned to the lips of the Green Beast of Konoha, and it was not his usual toothy smile but a more cunning, a little disturbing on him.

«What are you saying, Kakashi? It was _you_ who convinced him».

«I don’t think so».

«Oh, maybe you’re right», Gai admitted, laughing a little. «I _may_ have told him it was your wish».

Ah.

«This Machiavellian side of yours amazes me».

«For a good cause only».

«And what would this good cause be?»

«You know well, my Rival», said Gai, leaning a little from his wheelchair to fix a large red ribbon that he had put on the window. «Love».

«Mmm».

«And maybe you too –»

«Stop. Don’t continue the sentence, please», Kakashi interrupted, painfully aware of where his old friend would be headed. «I prefer not to think about it too much».

But obviously asking _Gai_ to drop an argument was like asking the moon to stop rotating around the earth: useless and a waste of energy.

«Kakashi. Never in your life have you been a coward. Because when it comes to Sa-»

«Seriously, Gai, that’s enough», he stopped him again, already tired of that conversation. He loved Gai, really, but sometimes he wanted nothing more than to put a generous dose of scotch on his mouth, especially when he was talking about feelings, especially when it came to a certain woman with pink hair and green eyes.

«Agree. But I’m convinced that if you ta-»

But Kakashi had already left the room leaving his long-time friend there and hiding in his room, upstairs, hoping that the stairs would keep him away (not that Gai couldn’t climb them, but he usually understood that it was a kind way to tell him he didn’t want to talk). It was a speech that had popped up regularly in recent months, to Kakashi’s despondency, and it seemed that Gai had as a goal in life to see him married to that beautiful creature that was Sakura. Not that he didn’t want to, on the contrary; he wanted her so badly that it terrified him. So he tried to do what he did best: ignore the problem… and shut up his friend when he tried to get on the subject.

«Kakashi, the guests are coming!» Gai’s call came from downstairs about twenty minutes later. «Stop being a hermit and get off».

Sighing the Hokage left on the bed the draft of what had been his favourite fan fiction of _Icha Icha_ and which now because of Tenzō was turning into his first novel and which he was desperately trying to edit, and went back to the ground floor where new voices had joined and boomed in the corridor. Before even turning the corner, he knew who he would be in front of: Tenzō, Sai, Naruto and Sakura, Team 7 almost complete, all four with bags and envelops in hand.

«Yo», the man greeted them, trying not to focus too much on the funny, and at the same time tremendously sexy, sweater that his former female student was wearing.

«Kakashi-sensei!» Naruto’s howl came, always with his voice too loud, his smiling face as bright as a ray of sunshine, so similar to Minato-sensei and Kushina-san that it was sometimes painful to even look at him. «We came to see if you needed a hand with the party».

«Maa, Gai has already done everything there was to do», he replied, shrugging and pulling his worn copy of _Icha Icha Violence_ out of his pocket.

«Great, so we can e- Wait », the boy suddenly stopped and Kakashi swore he could see the gears turning in his brain. «But you and Gekimayu-sensei… are you togetheeeer?!»

Silence fell over them as the Hokage tried to hold back the laughter. Him and _Gai_? It would have been like sleeping with his brother.

«Naruto, you are hopeless», Sakura sighed, shaking her head.

«Why? What did I say strange?»

It was Sai who answered, his gaze shifting from Gai to his teammate.

«Just because you and Sasuke are attracted to each other doesn’t mean that –»

Now Naruto too had red cheeks.

«Me and Sasuke aren’t –»

«Besides, Gai-san isn’t interested in a relationship because –»

Sai and his big mouth. One glance at his friend was enough to realize that he was blushing furiously. Gai had never hidden his asexuality from friends, but he wasn’t completely comfortable talking about it with people he wasn’t particularly close to. Not that he didn’t understand: even Kakashi preferred to keep his private life… private, in fact.

«Okay, why don’t we go into the living room?» he proposed taking a step forward, intervening a little between Naruto and Gai, in the hope of burying that speech.

But Naruto was the usual stubborn head.

«Wait, what were you saying, Sai?»

«Let’s go, Naruto», Sakura interjected, pushing her friend towards the living room after throwing a strange look at Gai. «Didn’t you say you wanted to taste my melonpans? Sai, Tenzō-san, you come too: it’s the first time I’ve prepared them and I want some guinea pigs before I let the others eat them».

«Oh, I understand, you’re changing the subject to get out of an embarrassing to-»

«Shut up and walk, Sai», interrupted the kunoichi, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him after them, Tenzō following them in silence, a half-smile on his lips but worried eyes on Gai.

Left alone on the edge of the genkan, Kakashi looked at his friend.

«You all right?»

«Of course, Kakashi!» he replied, giving him one of his Gai-like-smile, cheeks and neck still evidently red. «Let’s go too: I want to taste Sakura-san’s melonpans!»

And he push himself into the living room without giving him time to say or do anything else. Kakashi could not help but follow him.

«Hey, Kakashi-sensei, why is the house full of weeds?» Naruto asked, his mouth full, a nibbled melonpan in his hand.

«Gai’s idea», he explained with a shrug. He had no intention of taking responsibility for that, much less did he want to explain to Sakura and the others the bizarre idea of kissing.

« _Gai’s_ idea?!» Tenzō asked, obviously offended, throwing a dirty look at the other jōnin who raised his hands in surrender, his mouth already wide open to explain… and who was saved by a knock on the door.

«Oh, other guests. I’ll handle that», he hastened to say and pushed his arms on the wheels of the wheelchair, slipping out of the living room.

«When did he learn the subtle art of manipulation?» asked the ANBU, approaching Kakashi, a slight smile curving his lips.

«I don’t know, but I’m not sure if I like it», Kakashi confessed, himself unable to hold back his smile. It was nice to see Gai sunny and giggle like old times. Since he had awakened after the war, it was too often that negative thoughts clouded his usual smile. Kakashi had tried to make up for it as much as possible by giving him various assignments, including taijutsu courses for the students of the Academy, but it would have been stupid of him to say that Gai hadn’t changed since losing the use of his leg. That was probably one of the reasons he hadn’t ended the annual Christmas party years ago (the fact that it allowed him to see Sakura in something other than her uniform was just an added factor). «And now let me get away from these stupid sprigs of mistletoe before anyone walks in».

Tenzō raised an eyebrow, the smile widening on his face and his eyes sparkling, a sign that he was about to say something that Kakashi would not appreciate.

«You know, you should tell Sa-»

Precisely.

«Shut up», he muttered as he hid in a corner of the room, right in front of the tokonoma, miraculously clear of mistletoe (miraculously not at all, he had pulled up the seedlings himself at the first moment of his old friend’s distraction).

Just at that moment Gai returned to the hall accompanied by Kurenai (little Mirai was on the man’s lap and urging him to go faster), Tsunade, Shizune, Genma and the Ino-Shika-Chō (with Temari and one of the Delegates of Kumo, Karui?). Kakashi greeted them briefly and, while someone else rang the bell at the entrance door, he pulled _Icha Icha Violence_ out of his bag again and began to read, estranging himself from the growing crowd.

* * *

Over the next two hours he was awakened from his regular reading: by his friends trying to drag him into some old adventures tales, by Kiba and Naruto arguing and brawling in the corner, by Mirai asking him to read her aloud _Icha Icha_ (to Kurenai’s horror and his utter embarrassment), from Sakura who supplied him with food and drink. But above all by the kisses.

Gai had explained the mistletoe business and almost everyone felt compelled to abide by the rules. Kakashi had watched with an amused eye Ino frame Sai at least eight times, with the kisses becoming less chaste each time (and part of him expected to see them disappear at any moment upstairs in search of intimacy and was ready to recall his ninken to discourage the two guys). Konohamaru had tried to kiss Moegi, earning a head butt and then a quick but glowing kiss. Tsunade, completely drunk, had wandered around the room for almost an hour dragging anyone who passed her to the ground (she had stopped only when Shizune, half embarrassed and half amused, had used a bottle of fine sake to convince her to sit in a corner and give it credit). Sakura, Kakashi noted, had skilfully avoided any possible exchange of effusions.

In all this, and despite the insistence of the defendants, Kakashi had managed not to move from his mistletoe-free corner – Konohamaru had also tried to ensnare him using the Oiroke no jutsu and transforming himself into a charming and somewhat poorly dressed Santa’s elf, thus receiving a punch from Moegi and a scaled-down version of Itachi’s Tsukuyomi from Kurenai.

But the evening was still long and Kakashi was considering the idea of escaping to the bathroom for a moment to take a break from all the noise and people when an ANBU wrapped in a cloak and with a mask to cover their face appeared in front of him, kneeling on the tatami. Immediately silence fell in the room and everyone seemed to be imperceptibly on guard: Tenzō was beside him in a second, Tenten pulled a roll from her weapon bag and Shino returned to his mother little Mirai who was sleeping in his arms, a couple of insects stirred on the skin of his right cheek.

«What happen?» Kakashi asked, lowering the book and staring at the kunoichi in front of him.

«An urgent dispatch from Iwa, Hokage-sama», Yūgao said, handing him a sealed scroll.

He grabbed it and, using a little bit of his chakra, he unsealed it and proceeded to read.

Shit.

«Neko, come with me», he ordered, using the code name of the ANBU. «Go on with the party, I’ll be right back. My apologies», he said to the others with a half-smile.

And without adding anything else, he left the room and quickly went to his bedroom, upstairs, Yūgao moving like a shadow behind him. When he had carefully closed the fusuma behind him another ANBU, this time with a mask with the features of a swallow, instantly appeared next to the window. Kakashi sighed.

«Let me guess, a dispatch from Kiri?»

«Yes, sir», he replied, handing him a scroll that Kakashi took and unsealed.

After a few minutes he drew paper and ink and answered both Kages, then delivering the messages to the two ANBUs.

«Send them immediately. It is a priority. Give this», he added, handing them a quickly scribbled note, «to the guardian chūnin and make sure they assigns you the fastest hawks».

«Yes, Hokage-sama», the two replied and disappeared instantly.

Left alone, Kakashi sat on the bed and rubbed his eyes. This really didn’t take. It was a potential disaster and he absolutely didn’t want it to lead to battles. They had fought and lost so much, for the peace, and he would do what he could to make it last. Fuck, it had only been _four years_ since the end of the Fourth War, how was it possible that they were already at that point? He was too old for those things.

A light knock on the fusuma roused him from his dark troubles. He wasn’t particularly surprised to find Shikamaru in front of him.

«Is that what I think it is?» he asked and, when he got a brief nod, he snorted loudly and ran a hand over the back of his neck. «What a drag. We will have to call an emergency Kage summit».

«At this rate, I’m afraid it’s inevitable», Kakashi agreed, his hand automatically snapping to find the little red book that always helped calm his nerves. «We have waited too long, in my opinion».

«Yes, we should have intervened earlier».

«Oh, well, no use thinking about it now. I have sent a hawk to Iwa and one to Kiri, and it will take at least a couple of days before they arrive at their destination and as many to receive an answer. We will face the discussion calmly tomorrow». Then he smiled and patted him on the shoulder, walking towards the staircase that would take them back into the din of the party. «Now think about having fun. I don’t think I saw you kissing Temari under the mistletoe today».

«And you won’t see me do it», he replied, gratifying him with a dirty look.

«Oh, come on, don’t be so negative. You’re young and in love: have fun!»

The twinkle in his assistant’s dark eyes told him that what was about to come out of his lips he wouldn’t like.

«And when are you going to kiss Sa-»

«Don’t continue that sentence», Kakashi interrupted in a threatening tone. Why the hell were all his friends trying to get their noses up on this?

«It’s just the truth», Shikamaru retorted, stopping at the entrance to the living room and barely smiling at Temari who was scrutinizing him with a raised eyebrow.

«Shut up, brat, and go back to your girlfriend before I order you to kiss her in front of everyone».

«As you command, _Hokage-sama_ », Shikamaru replied, walking away. But not before giving him a strange look, his eyes sparkling.

The thing stank. But Kakashi didn’t have time to decide _what_ exactly was wrong with his faithful assistant’s gaze because someone behind him cleared their throat. A shiver ran down his spine as he turned and met Sakura’s gaze. Damn her impeccable chakra control.

«Ehi, Kakashi», she greeted him with a smile and Kakashi had to swallow before answering.

«Ehi, Sakura».

Kami-sama how pathetic he was.

“ _Say something, you idiot!_ ” he told himself, mentally slapping himself in the face.

Then he noticed the woman raise her eyes to the ceiling and her lips curl into a small smile when she noticed a twig hanging right above them.

«Oh, mistletoe», she whispered, taking half a step toward him.

* * *

Sakura had found out about Gai-sensei’s new gimmick just by chance a couple of days earlier when at Training Camp 21 she had met Tenzō who was muttering something very similar to “what does he think I am, a florist? Just because I have Mokuton doesn’t mean he can use me to sprout plants where he likes. What then the mistletoe… there is no duller plant than that. I would have understood the holly, but the _mistletoe_?”. It was a civilian tradition to kiss under the mistletoe during the Christmas season and Sakura, who grew up in a civilian family, knew this well.

So she had decided that she would play her cards at the Christmas party. After all, it had been a while since a part of her had assured her that Kakashi reciprocated her feelings (and Ino, Tenten and Temari supported her hypothesis) but she suspected that waiting for the man to make the first move risked dying as a spinster. So she had decided that this was her chance. She would have drunk a little so as to have the excuse of alcohol ready if he had refused her, and at some point in the evening she would have stuck him under the mistletoe and kissed him. Yes, it could work.

Too bad that Kakashi had spent the entire evening hidden in a corner of the room completely clear of mistletoe, cautious, his _Icha Icha_ in hand, occasionally raising his eyes and smiling at the guests. She was beginning to lose hope when an ANBU had appeared in front of the Hokage who had disappeared outside, concern evident on his face despite the smile he had offered all of them. When a few minutes later Shikamaru had followed him, Sakura had gone to take refuge for a moment in the quiet of the kitchen, rethinking her plan, re-evaluating each step, considering every variable… Kami-sama she was behaving as if that were some S-rank mission and instead she just wanted to kiss Kakashi. Pathetic.

Suddenly she heard footsteps coming down the stairs and the voices of Kakashi and Shikamaru approaching distracted her from her thoughts.

«Don’t continue that sentence», the Hokage was saying, his tone both joking and menacing. It was a mystery how he could be so expressive with just his voice. Not to mention the eyes.

«It’s just the truth», Shikamaru had retorted, the voice approaching the living room.

«Shut up, brat, and go back to your girlfriend before I order you to kiss her in front of everyone».

« As you command, _Hokage-sama_ ».

Sakura peeked out the door and noticed that the two men were now near the fusuma, and Shikamaru was walking away and noticed her. Something sparkled in his dark eyes and Sakura decided not to wonder what it was. At that moment all she cared about was that Kakashi was alone. Exactly under a sprig of mistletoe.

Without hesitation, taking advantage of all her ninja skills and her prodigious chakra control, she approached as silently as possible until she was at a distance just below what she usually maintained and cleared her throat; but all her confidence vanished when he turned and looked at her with slightly wide eyes.

«Ehi, Kakashi», she said to break the ice.

«Ehi, Sakura».

“ _Good heavens, do something!_ ” she chided herself mentally. Then she raised her eyes to the ceiling and when she saw the twig hanging above them she remembered why she was there and smiled: she would not have missed that opportunity. She was determined to resolve the issue that day, one way or another.

«Oh. Mistletoe», she whispered, taking half a step forward, sighing inwardly with relief when Kakashi didn’t flinch.

«Yes», he confirmed, a bit stupidly, his arms stiff at his sides, his grey eyes planted in hers. He looked like a wild animal being hunted by a hunter, and for a moment Sakura took pity on him and thought about giving up on her plan. Just for a moment. Then she decided to attack.

«What did Gai-san say? That tradition has it that when two people are together under a mistletoe branch they have to kiss, right?» she tried, hoping to get a reaction, _any_ reaction.

«Yes».

Oh, Kami-sama. “ _At this rate we won’t go anywhere_ ”, she thought disconsolately. Perhaps the brazen approach would have led somewhere.

«I might just kiss you, than», she said, partly desperate, partly hopeful, partly disconsolate. If that didn’t work, Sakura really didn’t know what else to do other than confess her intentions openly… which she _didn’t_ want to get to do.

«You’re free to try», he replied, his lips curving just a little bit under the fabric of the mask.

The young woman sighed with relief internally and a tension she hadn’t realized she had in her shoulders disappeared instantly. A reaction! A _positive_ reaction! Or at least Sakura hoped it was positive. But there was only one way to make sure: to ask.

«Would you stop me?»

Kakashi hesitated for a moment and something in Sakura trembled.

«No», he said finally.

And the woman, incredulous, impatient, closed the distance and leaned on her toes to put a hand on his shoulder and lightly make their lips meet through the fabric of the mask.

Kakashi, as hesitant as she was, touched her side and did not flinch, his warm breath tickling her skin.

Sakura broke away first after a few seconds, mentally cursing the damned mask that had prevented her from deepening the contact. Part of her wanted to rip it off him and kiss him again, for real this time. The other party, the one who had tried to convince her to give up her plan, was screaming in her brain to say goodbye and go and drown herself in a stream, or jump off the Hokage mountain, or choke herself on a pillow.

A whistle roused her from her thoughts and they both stared at the crowd of gazes that made her feel pinned in place, the blush starting to bloom on her cheeks.

It was Ino who whistled. That traitor.

«Hey you two, get a room», her friend shouted, and Sakura saw out of the corner of her eye that the portion of skin visible above Kakashi’s mask had darkened a bit.

He was blushing. Hatake Kakashi _was blushing_. One point for her.

Her complacency was blown away when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

«Can you follow me for a moment?»

Sakura nodded and, ignoring whistles (Ino and Tsunade), shouts of encouragement (Gai and Genma) and amazed stammering (Naruto), she followed him into the kitchen, closing the door behind her.

And then silence. Horrible, terrifying, awkward silence.

Kakashi had his back to her and Sakura didn’t know if she should do or say something, so she waited practically standing in the doorway. And waited. And waited.

«Did you really kissed me just because of Gai’s stupid tradition?» finally asked the man without looking at her and Sakura just jumped.

Shit, now what? She had to take risks and tell the truth or… No, there was no “or”. She had already made her choice when she had decided to act.

«I kissed you because I like you», she confessed without taking her eyes off the man’s rebellious hair, trying to keep at bay her heartbeat and the desire to see that face she could only imagine.

«Oh, thanks gods», Kakashi sighed turning toward her, his eyes shining, his cheeks decidedly red. A gloved hand reached forward and touched her cheek sending a jolt across her body. Without hesitation, she bent her head slightly to accommodate that slight contact. Maybe it was a dream and in that case she really didn’t want to wake up.

«And now?» whispered the kunoichi, uncertain. She didn’t want Kakashi to walk away or stop stroking her, but she also wanted _more_.

«Now?» he asked, raising an eyebrow as his fingers continued to brush her skin.

«Are you planning to take off that mask and kiss me sooner or later?»

And he burst out laughing without restraint. The bastard.

«Would you like to get the prize so fast, huh?» he teased her, leaning slightly toward her and actually bringing himself within kissing distance. Sakura could hear her heart beating fast and blood rumbling in her ears. «Only after taking you out on a date».

And he walked away.

«Wait, what do you mean?»

Kakashi laughed again. That damn man.

«Let’s go back to the party, Sakura-chan». And taking her hand, he dragged her out of the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally a turning point! Yeee! The next chapter will still be a bit flat but the sixth and seventh will be... spicy.  
> And yes, my Kakashi is about to become a writer. And yes, it really is an Icha Icha (but we'll talk more about it another time).  
> And yes, my Gai is asexual. And I'll talk about that in more detail in other ff later (I wasn't kidding when I said the world of This Is Us was getting so big it scared me. The problem is, the more I explore the story of Kakashi and Sakura, the more everyone else's stories are intertwined and I can't and don't want just forget about them. Which is exciting and complicated at the same time).


	5. And Everyone is Singing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the fifth Christmas since the War ends and Kakashi is happy with Sakura. On Christmas day Kurenai has to go on a mission and asks him to take care of Mirai for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DATE: Monday, 25th December 1683  
> TITLE: All I Want for Christmas is you - Mariah Carey
> 
> Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Haruno Sakura, Aburame Shino/Hyuga Hinata, Nara Shikamaru/Temari, Akimichi Choji/Karui, Sai/Yamanaka Ino, Sarutobi Konohamaru/Kazamatsuri Moegi  
> Characters: Hatake Kakashi, Yuhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Mirai, Aburame Shino, Hyuga Hinata, Nara Shikamaru, Haruno Sakura, Maito Gai, Yamato | Tenzo, Shiranui Genma, Uzumaki Naruto, Sai, Uchiha Sasuke, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Choji, Temari, Karui, Sarutobi Konohamaru, Ise Udon, Kazamatsuri Moegi, Inuzuka Kiba, Tsunade, Shizune, Tenten, Akamaru  
> Additional Tags: Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, Rokudaime Hatake Kakashi, Chirstmas carols, Kakashi sings

Kurenai’s mission had been suddenly anticipated and, when Kakashi had called her in the early afternoon to warn her of the imminent departure, his old friend hadn’t flinch but had returned an hour later with her five-year-old daughter clinging to her hand. His mother, she had explained, would arrived the next morning from one of the villages near the border with Suna, so until she arrived someone would have to take care of Mirai.

For a moment the Hokage had feared that the kunoichi would drop the little girl there in the office and leave without much ceremony. Okay, Kakashi loved Mirai (and the feeling was mutual), but he had urgent work to do, a job that didn’t go very well with looking after a little girl. But Kurenai was not that naive. Shino and Hinata would have passed in a couple of hours to pick her up so Kakashi would have to babysit just for that amount of time. He could do it… At least so the kunoichi had assured him before smiling at him, kissing her daughter, recommending her to be good, and leave them alone there.

It had gone surprisingly well, he had to admit: Mirai was a quiet little girl and she sat next to Kakashi at the desk in the raised chair kindly created by Tenzō and leafed through a large coloured book, and then made drawings, and at one point she was dozed off a bit. Kakashi had quietly done his job and was a little displeased when Hinata and Shino (not too surprisingly accompanied by Kiba and Akamaru) finally showed up around five to take the child into custody.

The moment they left, Mirai waving happily from the back of the ninken, Shikamaru crossed the threshold with a pile of documents in hand.

«Please tell me I don’t have to read them today», moaned the Hokage, dropping his head in his hands. He was _so_ tired.

«Do you want me to lie to you, Kakashi-sensei?» he retorted, approaching the desk and placing the documents on the miraculously almost clear wood. Almost.

«I should fire you. You make me work too hard, even Sakura says so».

«Speaking of Sakura, are you sure you don’t want to send her on missions with ANBU anymore?» the young man asked, an arched eyebrow as he pulled out from some hidden corner a cup of tea that Kakashi took with gratitude: that’s why he was his favourite, he always read his mind. «She has been extremely useful in the field over the past three years. Among other things she saved your life too».

As he warmed his hands with the hot porcelain Kakashi sighed internally. He knew he would have to face that speech sooner or later (he had done it before with Sakura and then with Tenzō, after all) but the awareness of this did not mean that he was happy with it, at all.

«That wasn’t an ANBU mission. And yes, I’m sure; it lasted too long. She isn’t part of the special squads and her participation was only the result of desperation, but now that she has formed ten new iryō-nins among the members of ANBU, her presence is no longer necessary».

«It doesn’t have to do with your being a couple, right?» his assistant asked cautiously.

Kakashi sighed loudly. Déjà-vu. Sakura had also asked him the exact same thing (Tenzō had been too polite to do so but he had read it in his eyes that he thought the same thing and had ended up answering the non-verbal question anyway).

«Shikamaru, before I am a man I am a ninja. And I’m the Hokage», he declared seriously. «If keeping Sakura in ANBU was the best thing I would, but it’s not. Of course, her medical skills and her Byakugō are invaluable and are almost a guarantee of success in missions. But the fact remains that she is one. I prefer that she dedicates herself to passing on her skills to new generations and her colleagues so as to have more iryō-nins prepared in our teams».

«I just wanted to confirm my theory», Shikamaru said, shrugging, his lips slightly curled in a smile. «Your relationship is such a drag», he added, annoyance evident in his dark eyes.

Ouch.

«The Elders again?» he asked cautiously, but he already knew the answer to his question.

«The Elders again», he confirmed.

Those old… Now he understood why Tsunade had hung those two on the wall by the neck. He had been having the exact same temptation for a year.

«Next time they have something to say about my private life, send them to me», he suggested him as he took a sip from his cup of tea, his mind already at work to think of a way to “convince” those two to hold their nose out of his personal business.

Perhaps his tone of voice betrayed him because Shikamaru raised his eyebrows in a clearly incredulous expression.

«Last time it didn’t go particularly well», he pointed out.

Kakashi shrugged.

«You send them to me. I’ll think of something. And now either help me with this endless pile of papers, or leave me alone: if I arrive late for the party Gai will torment me for the next six months».

Shikamaru left shaking his head resignedly. Coward.

* * *

«You are late», Sakura greeted him on the doorstep, nearly three hours later.

And yes, he was definitely late, but this time it wasn’t his fault.

«Urgent Hokage’s businesses».

Sakura raised an eyebrow and Kakashi stepped aside, letting her see Shikamaru who confirmed with a subdued «Urgent Hokage’s businesses».

She sighed theatrically and let them in, leaning against the cabinet and then carefully closing the door behind them. The house was warm and full of voices and Kakashi let himself be lulled for a moment by the feeling of being surrounded by the affection of the people he loved.

«Most of your guests have already arrived», Sakura told him, pulling the Hokage cloak off his shoulders and gently placing it back in its place.

«They are not my guests. Don’t forget that technically Gai is the master of the house in this situation, since the party is his idea».

«Maybe, but the house is yours. I have prepared your sweater on the bed, go get changed».

«Yes, ma’am», he replied, and before walking away he leaned over to give her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

The sweater, dark blue embroidered with gingerbread men and snowflakes, awaited him in all its hideous glory. Sakura had bought it for him and, although it was better than others (like that memorable first sweater Tenzō gave him), it was still terrible; but that was the point after all, wasn’t it? Sighing, he took off the vest and long-sleeved shirt of the uniform holding only the tank top with the mask and quickly put on that… _thing_. He was tempted to hide, or run away from the window, but he knew that his girlfriend would immediately chase him and drag him by the ears into the living room, so he put the thought aside and with another sigh he started up the stairs.

The first floor living room, which had been opened completely by moving the fusuma, was filled with people and food and drink. Gai, Tenzō and Genma were chatting together by the window; someone had moved the sofa against the closet and the four guys from Team 7 were talking and laughing sitting on the ground next to it (or rather, Sakura and Naruto were talking, Sasuke instead had his usual hate-the-world face and Sai nodded thoughtful). Shikamaru had joined his girlfriend and together with the other members of the Ino-Shika-Chō was serving himself a drink. There were also Konohamaru and his two friends, and obviously the former Team 8 members who were looking after little Mirai.

When he crossed the threshold Sakura immediately turned and, apologizing to the three boys, left them there and went to meet him, rising on her toes to give him a light kiss on the lips.

«That sweater looks great on you», she said with a smile.

«Oh, shut up before I decide to go and change».

«It would be a shame because you’re awfully sexy», she said, giving him a wink.

He was about to reply that _she_ was the sexy one, with that grey sweater down to mid-thigh and the absence of pants, when a little hand clung to his shirt and Kakashi knew who it was before he even looked down: Mirai, a piece of melonpan in hand, looked at him from below with her red eyes so similar to those of her mother.

«Kakashi-ojisan?»

“ _Kakashi-ojisan?!_ ” Sakura mimicked with her lips, her eyes wide open, a smirk on her face. He ignored her and devoted himself to the child.

«Yes, Mirai?»

«Do you want to sing a little for me?»

Oh, damn. That afternoon, while she was drawing, the little girl had started humming Christmas carols and at a certain point she had asked him to help her with the words; so he had found himself singing while dealing with the report on a perfectly successful assassination mission. Kakashi had noticed the strangeness of the thing but at that moment he didn’t care much (not even when Shikamaru had suddenly entered and widened his eyes until the little girl had forced him to join their little choir); but now it was different. Singing for Mirai was one thing, but doing it with his other friends present… no, not even dead.

«Sorry, little one, but I can’t now», he said, bending a little to get closer to her.

«Oh. All right», she replied, the smile leaving her lips.

Shit.

She reminded him tremendously of Asuma, when her little face frowned, and that didn’t help at all. Shit twice.

«Don’t listen to him, Mirai», Sakura intervened, squatting in front of the girl. «He just wants to play hard. He’ll be very happy to sing with you, won’t you Kakashi?» she added, giving him a dirty look to underline the threatening note of her voice.

«Maa, how could I say no if two beautiful girls look at me like that?»

«Is Kakashi going to sing?» Genma suddenly asked, appeared at his side in a split second, a grin blooming on his lips.

«Oh, Rival! This is a nice surprise!» Gai intervened, pushing on the wheels of his chair to get closer to him. «I haven’t heard you sing since… I don’t even remember when».

«Why, did he often sing?» Sakura treacherously entered, curiosity evident in her voice and Kakashi understood that he had to change the subject quickly if he didn’t want that –

«Only when we forced him», his old friend replied as Genma, Tenzō and Shizune approached, all three with a grin that bode well. Oh no. Absolutely _not_. The conversation was taking a path from which he wanted to stay as far away as possible because he knew with absolute certainty where it would lead them. He had to stop them from talking about _that_ time; at _any_ cost.

«Was he the one you told me about, Shizune?» Tsunade asked, who at that moment was half-lying on his sofa with a bottle of sake in her hand. «The one that –»

«So, Mirai», Kakashi interrupted her quickly, loud enough to attract everyone’s attention, «what song do you want to sing?»

«Today’s one», she replied excitedly, the smile back on her little face.

«Okay», he agreed, dropping to the ground in an attempt to ignore the crowd that was beginning to surround them. Shit. Had it not been for Mirai he would have sent everyone to hell, he would have retired to a corner with the volume of _Icha Icha Orchestra_ that Sakura had given him and he would have ignored everyone. But how to say no to those big red eyes?

«You start?» asked that little devil. «I don’t remember the lyrics».

«“ _Oh, the weather outside is frightful_ ”», Kakashi began, focusing on the little girl and ignoring everyone else. «“ _But the fire is so delightful. And since we’ve no place to go…_ ”»

Mirai smiled and joined him, with her childish and slightly out of tune voice.

«“ _Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!_ ”»

At one point some of those present also started humming softly together with them (maybe Moegi and Hinata?) And Kakashi felt Sakura kneel behind him and wrap her arms around his shoulders, her nose pressed against his neck so close that allow him to feel the shape of her smiling lips.

When they sang the last verse, someone applauded, Genma whistled and everyone was delighted with the little girl («You were good too, my Rival») who blushed and smiled a little, obviously embarrassed and pleased at the same time by the attention received.

«If I wasn’t in love with you already, I would have fallen in love with your voice right now», Sakura whispered as she kissed him on the masked cheek. «You could sing again».

«No».

Sakura pouted.

«Oh, came on, do it for me. To show me your love».

«No».

«Kakashi –»

«Kakashi-ojiji», Mirai’s little voice interrupted her. «Do you sing again?»

That little girl was a demon. She reminded him terribly of Asuma: he too had the ability to make him do what he didn’t want. Shit.

«Yes, _Kakashi-ojiji_ », said Sakura, laughter evident in her voice, «sing again».

Why couldn’t he be at peace with his _Icha Icha_? What had he done wrong to deserve that punishment? As Shizune joined the request (and with her Naruto and Tenzō, the traitors), a bright idea hit him straight in the forehead and a grin stretched his lips.

«All right», he finally conceded, and in the next couple of seconds he saw the satisfaction of victory fill his girlfriend’s eyes. «But only if you sing with me», he added.

Panic immediately replaced victory. Kakashi knew he had played dirty but didn’t want to be the only freak of the evening.

When they started dating after their kiss under the mistletoe, they both agreed they needed to get to know each other better. So they talked a lot and discovered so many things about each other, some of which were insignificant… like the fact that Sakura was so embarrassed to sing in public due to an accident at a family dinner when she was five. Had it been cruel of him to use this against her? Maybe, but Sakura had a beautiful voice when she sang, and a part of him wanted to enjoy this opportunity.

«I’m out of tune…» Sakura tried, her face starting to redden.

«You are not».

«I have an ugly voice…»

«You have not»

«Sakura, sing», Tsunade put in, looking menacing. «It’s an order from your Hokage».

«Shishō, you’re no longer Hokage», Sakura pointed out.

«Once Hokage, always Hokage, brat», she said, pointing a finger at her and waving the sake bottle. Her cheeks were slightly red but she didn’t look completely drunk. Very good sign; strange, but very good sign.

«I don’t –»

«Do it for me», Kakashi murmured, his voice low enough that if he was surrounded by civilians, no one but Sakura would hear him. «Please».

The woman looked into his eyes for a moment and he saw the exact moment in which she gave in.

«Okay», she finally gave in with a sigh. «But I expect a _big_ gesture of thanks later», she added in a whisper, her eyes glinting mischievously.

«Whatever you wish», he replied, already anticipating the night that awaited them. Hear Sakura sing _and_ enjoy some sex with her? It was a win-win situation from every point of view.

«Sakura-chaaan! How disgusting!» Naruto grumbled. «Kakashi-sensei, you turned her into a pervert like you».

«You know, Naruto, I’ve read that those who get embarrassed by other people’s expressions of love are sexually frustrated», Sai broke in as Kakashi leaned forward and quickly put his hands on Mirai’s ears. «Maybe you and Sasuke should –» The sentence was interrupted by the timely intervention of Ino who covered his mouth with one hand.

«Your book also says to learn to be silent», the young woman hissed, her eyes darting between Naruto and Sasuke, the first looking dazed at Sai, the second looking at the Uzumaki with impassive face.

Those two idiots. Every so often Kakashi wondered if they would ever be able to declare themselves without outside help. But it wasn’t something he wanted to worry about right now and a glance at Sakura confirmed that she too was on that same line of thinking.

«So, Mirai, are you okay if I sing along with Kakashi too?» she asked the girl after removing Kakashi’s hands from her small ears.

The little girl nodded and smiled.

«Only if Kakashi-ojiji sings», Mirai said. «I like it when he sings».

«Yeah, I like it too», Sakura agreed with a smile. Then she turned to him. «What do you want to sing?»

«You know».

«“ _I really can’t stay_ ”», she began, her smile widening.

«“ _Baby it’s cold outside_ ”».

* * *

Four hours later Kakashi and Sakura were finishing taking into the kitchen leftovers and dirty dishes (which they had no intention of washing that evening, by the way). Kakashi was stacking the melonpans in the refrigerator when he felt Sakura’s arms wrap around his waist and her soft chest pressed against his back, her forehead resting between her shoulder blades.

«It was a nice evening».

«Yeah».

«You know that I’m going to let Tsunade-shishō tell me that story, don’t you?» she whispered, her voice letting laughter shine through.

«Which story?» he asked, for a moment genuinely confused (and a little worried).

«The one you prevented her from telling. The one about you and the singing», she explained. «Or you can tell me about it, as you like, but know that I’ll find out».

Ah. Shit. That story was to remain a secret. He didn’t want Sakura to have a heart attack from too much laughter. He had to change the subject quickly and make her forget it. And he knew exactly how to do it.

«What do you say if, on the other hand, you collect the promise I made you?» he asked in his best want-to-take-off-your-clothes voice.

Sakura shivered slightly and released her grip on his waist allowing him to spin around in the circle of her arms.

«Which promise?»

«That of a _big_ gesture of thanks».

She smiled and kissed him, taking his breath away.

«Deal».

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to make "Last Christmas" as independent as possible, in the sense that I would like to make it a story that can also be read on its own, complete. That's pretty much what I'm doing with all the fics in this AU. Of course I recommend reading all the other "This is Me" stories too, but in theory you should get a pretty good picture of KakaSaku (and the other characters) just by reading this one only.  
> In this regard, things mentioned here and that we will see in the next short stories: the first dates of Sakura and Kakashi, that time when the Elders had to say about their relationship and Kakashi reacted badly, when Sakura gives him the new book of Icha Icha (which was written by Kakashi but Sakura doesn't know it), how InoSai and ShiHina (it's this the term?) were born, and some interactions of Naruto and Sasuke who, as you have seen, are not a couple yet (those two idiots. But we'll get to that soon).


	6. Been Hoping that you’d Dropped in

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas to everyone!
> 
> DATE: Wednesday, 25th December 1684  
> TITLE: Baby it’s Cold Outside - Idina Menzel ft. Michael Bublé
> 
> Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Haruno Sakura, Nara Shikamaru/Temari, Akimichi Choji/Karui, Sai/Yamanaka Ino, Aburame Shino/Hyuga Hinata, UzumakiNaruto/Uchiha Sasuke, Sarutobi Konohamaru/Kazamatsuri Moegi  
> Characters: Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi, Maito Gai, Rock Lee, Tenten, Yamato | Tenzo, Yuhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Mirai, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Hyuga Hinata, Nara Shikamaru, Temari, Akimichi Choji, Karui, Yamanaka Ino, Sai, Tsunade, Shizune, Shiranui Genma, Sarutobi Konohamaru, Ise Udon, Kazamatsuri Moegi, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Akamaru  
> Additional Tags: Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, Rokudaime Hatake Kakashi

«If I kill Gai do you think they would take away the role of Hokage from me?»

At Kakashi’s question, Sakura shook herself from the half-sleep she had fallen into, lulled by the embrace of her man and by the warmth of the house and the chatter of her friends. It was Christmas and, as was by now tradition, everyone had gathered in the Hokage’s home to celebrate. They were the usual suspects: Gai and Rock Lee who had organized the party (with a help from Tenten who every time complained about her teammates and every time accompanied them on their adventures), Tenzō with the double role of friend and Kakashi’s bodyguard, Kurenai with little Mirai who at the moment was in a corner braiding Akamaru’s hair under the watchful eyes of her mother, Kiba was in a corner toasting and chatting intensely with Shino and Hinata (according to Sakura’s sixth sense it was a matter of days before those two announced their marriage), Ino, Shikamaru and Chōji with their respective future spouses, Tsunade with Shizune and Genma as her nurses (the latters engaged in a “secret” relationship of which half-Konoha was aware) and finally Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon. There were also Naruto and Sasuke who at that moment had evaporated… ah, right, they had gone to the kitchen to prepare more takoyaki.

And despite the noise caused by that small crowd, Sakura had managed to doze off… after all, Kakashi was a bit right: she worked too much. It therefore took her a good handful of seconds to understand what the Rokudaime had said.

«You can’t kill your best friend just because you’re tired of the office work», she scolded him with a smile, leaning better on his muscular chest and popping him a kiss on the cheek.

«I wouldn’t kill him for that reason alone», Kakashi retorted, his arms squeezing tighter around Sakura’s waist, his chin resting on her shoulder, «but because he filled our house with people. Again». The woman turned her head and her eyes widened. «Being released from the role of Hokage would be just a bonus, an extremely welcome bonus if I’m honest… Why are you looking at me like that? Oh, come on, I’m kidding. I won’t kill Gai».

«You said “ _our_ house”», she said softly, because really, he couldn’t mean… or he could?

* * *

«You said “ _our_ house”».

«Oh». That’s it, he had screwed himself. Him and his big mouth. Now he had to ask her because he knew that expression on her face and knew that Sakura would not let the subject drop. Damn. «Yeah, well, it’s basically like you live here. A lot of your books and clothes and all your stuff is here. So I thought… Yeah, well, the house is too big for me alone, you know that too… and the ninkens would like… I mean, I’d like…» Kakashi looked up and met Sakura’s bewildered eyes. «Would you like to live with me?» he threw out in one breath, his stupid cheeks starting to blush.

«Really?» Sakura asked, her eyes a little wide. «I mean, you ask me because you really want it or just because you think I want it or –»

«I want it», Kakashi hastened to interrupt her. «I want you. And I want you every moment of the day. I don’t want you to have to go back to your apartment to look for something, I want this to be your home, I want us to wake up together every morning and I want… Yes, I do».

A little voice inside him told him he was pathetic and surely Sakura wouldn’t accept, but he quickly silenced it.

«And the Elders? They wouldn’t take it very much…»

«Fuck them all. I made it clear some time ago that my private life shouldn’t concern them», Kakashi said, terribly serious.

It was true, the two members of the Council had not held back at all in expressing their opposition to their relationship and although two years had passed by now they were still trying to “bring him back to reason”. So he had long ago stopped being kind when they came into the subject.

«Yes», Sakura said suddenly, distracting him from the malevolent thoughts towards those two.

«Yes… Yes?» Kakashi asked hesitantly.

«Yes, I come to live here», Sakura clarified as she turned completely in the circle of his arms and reached out to give him a tender kiss on the lips. «But only because the ninkens want it, mind you», she added with a smirk.

And Kakashi could no longer resist and pulled her against his chest, dragging her soft lips in a not too chaste kiss, even with the mask to separate them, and every time they parted to catch their breath he whispered to her that he loved her and touched her every centimetre of skin left uncovered by the shirt. But he wanted more; he definitely wanted more. He let a hand slip to touch her waist and he had not yet begun to lift her sweater when Mirai’s voice urging Akamaru to run woke him up: for a glorious minute he had completely forgotten that they were not alone.

Groaning in frustration, he pulled his lips away from Sakura’s and rested his forehead on her shoulder to hide the blush visible over his mask.

«Kami-sama, now I have even more desire to kill Gai because right now I really need to be alone with you», he grunted, annoyed, holding her as tightly as possible.

Sakura giggled slightly and touched his neck gently.

«It’s something we can work on even without murders».

«Mmm?»

«Come with me, Hokage-sama, I have the solution to your problem», she whispered in his ear, the hot breath tickling his sensitive skin, shaking that hungry part inside him even more.

Without hesitation his partner grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the living room to the small closet down the hall, both ignoring Genma trying to get their attention from the kitchen (what the hell was Genma doing in his kitchen?! No, never mind, at that moment he didn’t care much as he was intent on anticipating what he and Sakura would do in the closet).

Too bad that, the instant she opened the door they realized that they weren’t the only couple who had the desire to seclude a little.

Sasuke was sitting on the washing machine, his chest bare, his pants undone while Naruto, with only a pair of boxers and an orange shirt on, tried to pull them over his hips. They were involved in a passionate kiss, skin to skin, flushed cheeks and tousled hair. Kakashi did not have time to look away, or say something, or load Sakura on his shoulders and run away, because the two young men noticed their presence and broke the contact. Both of them were breathing hard and, while Sasuke gave them a look halfway between bored and annoyed (not unlike his usual expression, in fact), Naruto blushed furiously and looked away, obviously embarrassed.

«Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei. Err… What are you doing here?»

The Rokudaime glanced at the woman next to him who was watching their two former teammates with wide open mouth and flushed cheeks. It was evident that she was processing what she saw and was unable to answer, at least not yet.

«I would like to remind you that this is our house», he pointed out, trying to figure out if he was more amused by the whole situation or bothered that their plans for seclusion had just vanished – a small part of him nudged him to the satisfaction of being able to officially say that this was no longer just his home but the _ir home_.

Naruto opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Sakura who apparently had recovered sufficiently from the shock.

«Kami-sama, can’t you two keep it in your pants for five goddamn minutes?!» she howled, the redness starting to spread to her neck as well. «And weren’t you supposed to make the takoyakis?»

Naruto shrugged and gave her a smug smirk.

«We have a lot of time to make up, Sakura-chan».

«And we could turn this question to you two too», Sasuke intervened, as he finally picked up the sweater from the floor and slipped it over his head to cover his naked torso, his black eye fixed on Naruto’s buttock, now covered by his pants.

Sakura raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused. But Kakashi understood what the Uchiha was implying… and with good reason.

«What do you mean?»

«I don’t think you came here for a cup of tea».

«Think about tying your pants instead of being funny», Sakura retorted, her face turning even more purple as she caught the hint. «I see you all and I would gladly do without it».

In fact, the Uchiha’s pants were still untied even though at least he had pulled them back to cover his hips.

«Oh, right», Naruto exclaimed and quickly, to the bewilderment of those present, zipped and buttoned his boyfriend’s pants. «So, Sakura-chan, do you want to tell me why you and Kakashi-sensei came here?» he then asked, a pleased smile on his face.

«To celebrate the fact that we are moving in together», she replied quietly. «And now go out before I force you out».

«Kakashi-sensei, you made her a pervert just like –» The young man stopped in mid-sentence, and Kakashi thought he could see the thoughts crowding his mind. Then when the words of his partner hit the target he exclaimed, his eyes comically wide open: «Wait, did you say you were going to live together?!»

«Get out of here, Naruto».

But the latter, stubborn as usual, ignored Sakura’s veiled threat and opened his mouth again, surely to insist on the matter, or make some other joke. Fortunately, Sasuke’s survival instinct was apparently more developed because he grabbed his partner by the shoulder and pushed him out, not before giving Kakashi a strange look.

When the door closed Sakura sighed and took his hand.

«Sorry. I don’t think I want to shut myself up in the closet and make dirty things, now», she whispered as she brought their clasped hands to her mouth and kissed his palm.

«Don’t worry, Sakura-chan, I’ll need some time to recover from the shock too», he said back, holding her in a hug to hide his smile as she mumbled an “idiot”. «Shall we go back there?»

«Mfh», she grumbled. «Is my stupid face still so red?»

«Just a little. And you are beautiful just like this». And he went out into the light of the corridor, dragging her after him.

They were just in front of the fusuma in the living room when they heard Naruto’s voice exclaim: «Hey folks, listen up, Ero-Hokage-sensei convinced Sakura to move in with him!»

«I’ll kill him», Sakura murmured and Kakashi laughed and pushed her into the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter muuuuch shorter than the previous ones, both for lack of inspiration and because I realized that I can't make happan all the events in Christmas day (especially since I want to keep this story on light tones by inserting only a pinch of angst every now and then: for battles and problems I'll do separate stories. After all, it's Christmas and Christmas is to celebrate and be good).  
> Finally Naruto and Sasuke have gotten together... and they're making up for lost time by baptizing every surface horizontal and vertical... which will lead to a whole host of unpleasant accidents, but that's another story.


End file.
